The One with the Embryos

Last updated

"The One with the Embryos"
Friends episode
Episode no.Season 4
Episode 12
Directed by Kevin S. Bright
Written byJill Condon & Amy Toomin
Production code466611
Original air dateJanuary 15, 1998 (1998-01-15) [1]
Guest appearances
Episode chronology
← Previous
"The One with Phoebe's Uterus"		Next →
"The One with Rachel's Crush"
Friends season 4
List of episodes

"The One with the Embryos" is the twelfth episode of Friends ' fourth season. It first aired on the NBC network in the United States on January 15, 1998. In the episode, Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow) agrees to be the surrogate mother for her brother Frank Jr. (Giovanni Ribisi) and his older wife Alice Knight (Debra Jo Rupp). Meanwhile, a display by Chandler (Matthew Perry) and Joey (Matt LeBlanc) of how well they know Monica (Courteney Cox) and Rachel (Jennifer Aniston) by guessing the items in their shopping bag leads to a large-scale bet on a quiz, for which Ross (David Schwimmer) acts as the gamemaster.

Contents

The episode was directed by Kevin S. Bright and co-written by Jill Condon and Amy Toomin. The idea for Kudrow's character Phoebe becoming a surrogate mother coincided with the actress' real-time pregnancy. The producers wanted to find a way to use the pregnancy in a narrative for the fourth season and designated the task to the writers. Ribisi and Rupp reprised their recurring roles of Frank Jr. and Alice respectively which was initially difficult as both had filming commitments.

In its original broadcast on NBC, "The One with the Embryos" acquired a 17.3 Nielsen rating, finishing the week ranked fourth. The episode received critical acclaim, is generally considered one of the best of the entire series, and is a favorite amongst the cast members and producers. In 2009, "The One with the Embryos" was ranked #21 on TV Guide's list of "TV's Top 100 Episodes of All Time."

Plot

Rachel (Jennifer Aniston) and Monica (Courteney Cox) are woken up too early in the morning by Joey (Matt LeBlanc) and Chandler's (Matthew Perry) chick and duck, as the maturing chick has just begun crowing. Later, as Rachel returns with her shopping and complains to the others about the situation, Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow) urges the boys to get rid of their birds as they should not be living in an apartment.

As Phoebe leaves for her doctor's appointment to get her brother Frank (Giovanni Ribisi) and his older wife Alice's (Debra Jo Rupp) embryo transferred into her uterus, Monica and Joey have an argument after Joey boasts that he and Chandler know more about Rachel and her than vice versa. Chandler backs Joey up, and the two correctly identify the contents of Rachel's shopping bag. Monica suggests a trivia contest to see who knows more about whom: the men or the women. They place a $100 bet on the outcome and Ross (David Schwimmer) puts together some questions and plays as host.

Meanwhile, Phoebe learns that the doctor will implant five of Frank and Alice's embryos into her uterus, which only has a 25% chance of success. She offers to do this as many times as possible for them, but is concerned when the two reveal that they are paying $16,000, which is all of their savings, for the single IVF procedure, and is helpless to influence the results.

The trivia game begins, with various facts about the characters being revealed such as Joey's space-cowboy imaginary friend (Maurice) and Rachel's actual favorite movie ( Weekend at Bernie's ). A nine-all score leads to a lightning round. Monica raises the stakes: If the women win, Joey and Chandler must give up their birds. Chandler rebuts by suggesting Rachel and Monica give up their apartment to them, which Monica immediately agrees to without consulting Rachel. The girls lose the lightning round because they cannot identify Chandler's job, and the boys win.

As the four pack up their respective apartments—Rachel, in particular, displeased about having to switch—Phoebe returns home and takes a pregnancy test, though it is too soon for a result, so she sits in the apartment for several hours waiting for another result. Later with packing complete, Rachel finally refuses to move as Frank and Alice come by with another pregnancy test. The boys and the girls begin to argue along with Ross, which is cut short when Phoebe emerges from the bathroom and joyfully announces she is pregnant, the mood turning to one of celebration.

The tag scene shows Rachel and Monica horrified at having to deal with living in Chandler and Joey's cramped and dirty apartment, while the boys are content to live in the girls' large apartment.

Production

Lisa Kudrow's pregnancy inspired the story arc for her character Phoebe to become a surrogate mother. Lisa Kudrow 2.jpg
Lisa Kudrow's pregnancy inspired the story arc for her character Phoebe to become a surrogate mother.

"The One with the Embryos" was co-written by Jill Condon and Amy Toomin and directed by Kevin S. Bright. [2] In October 1997, Lisa Kudrow announced she and her husband Michel Stern were expecting their first child. [3] When Marta Kauffman first learned of Kudrow's pregnancy, she was overjoyed and wanted to find a solution of incorporating it into the show without choosing to cover up. [4] At the time of filming "The One with the Embryos" in December, Kudrow was four months pregnant and the writers discussed ways of narrating the pregnancy on the show, settling with Kudrow's character carrying her brother's embryos. [4]

According to David Crane, the story arc with Phoebe carrying Frank and Alice's baby was considered "risky". [5] When the plot was first discussed, the main concern was whether it was "too crazy … where's the line with Phoebe?". Crane felt if it were not for the actors, the storyline would not have been believable. [5] The producers found it difficult to get Giovanni Ribisi to reprise his role as Frank Jr. on a longer-term basis because the actor had continuous filming commitments. [4] A similar situation occurred with Debra Jo Rupp, who was named as a cast member in the upcoming period sitcom, That '70s Show on the Fox network. [5]

The chick and the duck, who first appeared in "The One with a Chick and a Duck" as Chandler and Joey's pets were used "as a spark" for the main plot. [6] The animals were originally intended for one episode but because the producers believed they got "so much mileage out of them", they made recurring appearances. [6] As many television shows used similar fictional pets, the producers settled on a chicken and a duck as they were different. [6]

The idea for the trivia contest came up in the writers' room, partially based on a real game that writer Seth Kurland watched his friends play. [7] The "Miss Chanandler Bong" joke was inspired by an incident from Kurland's childhood when his surname was misspelled on an address label. [7]

Kauffman told TV Guide the writers felt it was important that the trivia contest reveal new information about the characters "otherwise it's just exposition." [7] The answer "Viva Las Gay-gas" in response to 'What is the name of Chandler's dad's show in Vegas?' changed "about a million times" in drafts according to Crane. [5] On the night the show was being filmed, writers continued to pitch for different answers in order to receive a better response from the audience. [5] The staff found it difficult coming up with different points of view for each character as all wanted to win the game. [5]

The writers decided to go through with the apartment switch to avoid creating fake stakes, which they called "schmuck bait". "The discussion was if we do it, we have to stick to it," Crane said. [7] There was never discussion of changing the look of either apartment because "the fun of it was that they were in spaces they 'shouldn't' be in," according to Bright. [7]

Reception

In its original airing, "The One with the Embryos" finished fourth in ratings for the week of January 12–January 18, 1998, with a Nielsen rating of 17.3, equivalent to approximately 16.8 million viewing households. It was the fourth highest-rated show on NBC that week, following ER , Seinfeld and Veronica's Closet –all of which aired on the network's Thursday night Must See TV lineup. [8]

"The One with the Embryos" was Courteney Cox and Matt LeBlanc's favorite episode of the series. Cox liked the episode because she enjoys playing Monica at her most competitive, [9] while LeBlanc spoke fondly of the pace of the episode and the information about the characters that came out. He identified scenes that featured just the six core cast as the best, "because you don't have to introduce a character—you don't have to lay any pipeline—you just get right to the funny". [10] On the DVD audio commentary for the episode, Marta Kauffman cited the episode being "so much fun to do" and enjoyed the writing process. [4] The scene involving Phoebe talking to the embryos was Kevin S. Bright's favorite in the show's history because of Kudrow's ability to "draw you into the scene ... even though it's only her talking to the dish". [6] David Crane highlights how the episode explores generosity; doing a selfless act which pays off when Phoebe gives birth in "The One Hundredth". [5] Bright moreover felt the trivia contest was the catalyst that rejuvenated the entire fourth season and "put Friends in a different place". [6]

In a 2001 review, Entertainment Weekly rated the episode A+, stating that "Thanks to the trivia contest alone, Embryos is quite possibly Friends' finest moment". The article singles out Rachel's line "He's a transpon—transpondster!" (in response to the question "What is Chandler Bing's job?") as the best line of the episode. [11] The authors of Friends Like Us: The Unofficial Guide to Friends called it a "sure-fire contender for the best episode of all time ... not one to be missed under any circumstances". [1] In 2004, Tara Ariano of MSNBC.com wrote that the character trivia is "revealed in a manner completely organic to the plot. Beautifully written and acted, 'The One With The Embryos' encapsulates the whole series in a single episode". [12] The episode was ranked #21 on TV Guide 's list of "TV's Top 100 Episodes of All Time". [13]

In a 2018 oral history marking the episode's 20th anniversary, TV Guide declared it the series' best episode and "Friends at its peak, a lightning-in-a-bottle gem." Kauffman said she hopes "the episode's legacy is what people would say about the series, which is it's really funny and real and sweet." [7]

Merchandise

The episode was released as part of Friends: The Complete Fourth Season in Regions 1, 2 and 4. [14] As part of the DVD release, "Who Knows Whom Best? – Ross's Ultimate Challenge" an interactive game was included, based on the quiz in "The One with the Embryos". The game uses clips from the show to provide answers, allows viewers to choose a team (boys or girls) and call the coin toss.

Related Research Articles

Friends is an American television sitcom created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, which aired on NBC from September 22, 1994, to May 6, 2004, lasting ten seasons. With an ensemble cast starring Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry and David Schwimmer, the show revolves around six friends in their 20s and early 30s who live in Manhattan, New York City. The original executive producers were Kevin S. Bright, Kauffman, and Crane.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joey Tribbiani</span> Fictional character from the American sitcoms Friends and Joey

Joseph Francis Tribbiani Jr. is a fictional character, serving as one of the primary characters of the NBC sitcom Friends and the protagonist of its spin-off Joey. He is portrayed by Matt LeBlanc in both series.

"The Pilot"—also known as "The One Where Monica Gets a Roommate", "The First One", and "The One Where It All Began"—is the pilot episode and series premiere of the American television sitcom Friends. The episode premiered on NBC on September 22, 1994. It was written by the show's creators, David Crane and Marta Kauffman, and directed by James Burrows. The pilot introduces six twenty-something friends who live and work in New York City: Monica Geller, a single sous chef in her mid 20s who is illegally subletting her grandmother's apartment; Ross Geller, Monica's older brother, a paleontologist whose marriage recently ended after he learned his wife, Carol, is a lesbian; Rachel Green, Monica's spoiled, self-centered, high-school best friend who has just left her fiancé at the altar and is financially cut off by her father; Chandler Bing, Ross' college roommate and best friend who lives across the hall from Monica; Joey Tribbiani, a struggling Italian-American actor and Chandler's roommate; and Phoebe Buffay, a laid-back, hippie-ish masseuse, singer and guitar player.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Monica Geller</span> Fictional character from the American sitcom Friends

Monica E. Geller is a fictional character, one of the six main characters who appears on the American sitcom Friends (1994–2004). Created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, and portrayed by actress Courteney Cox, Monica appears in all of the show's 236 episodes, from its premiere in 1994, to its finale in 2004. A chef known for her cleanliness, competitiveness and obsessive-compulsive nature, Monica is the younger sister of Ross Geller and best friend of Rachel Green, the latter of whom she invites to live with her after Rachel forsakes her own wedding. The two characters spend several years living together as roommates until Monica begins a romantic relationship with long-time neighbor and friend Chandler Bing, whom she marries. Unable to conceive children on their own, Chandler and Monica eventually adopt twins Erica and Jack and move out of their apartment into a larger house in the suburbs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phoebe Buffay</span> Fictional character from the American sitcom Friends

Phoebe Buffay is one of the six main characters from the American television sitcom, Friends. She was created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman and portrayed by actress Lisa Kudrow.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ross Geller</span> Fictional character from the American sitcom Friends

Ross Geller, portrayed by David Schwimmer, is one of the six main characters of the NBC sitcom Friends. Ross is considered by many to be the most intelligent member of the group and is noted for his goofy but lovable demeanor. His relationship with Rachel Green was included in TV Guide's list of the best TV couples of all time, as well as Entertainment Weekly's "30 Best 'Will They/Won't They?' TV Couples". Kevin Bright, who was one of the executive producers of the show, had worked with Schwimmer before, so the writers were already developing Ross's character in Schwimmer's voice. Hence, Schwimmer was the first person to be cast on the show.

"The One with the Prom Video" is the fourteenth episode of the second season, and the 38th episode overall, of the American television situation comedy Friends, which first aired on NBC on February 1, 1996. The episode focuses on the main characters watching Monica and Rachel getting ready for their high-school prom in the titular video. A subplot sees Joey having increased income, buying roommate Chandler an unusual gift.

"The One Where No One's Ready" is the second episode of the third season of the American television sitcom Friends and 50th overall, which aired on NBC on September 26, 1996. The plot centers on Ross's anxiety as his friends take too long getting ready for a function that evening.

"The One with the Morning After" is the sixteenth episode of the third season of the American television situation comedy Friends and 64th overall, which aired on NBC on February 20, 1997. The plot, which is darker than most Friends episodes, centers on Ross dealing with the repercussions of sleeping with another woman hours after he and Rachel took a break.

"The One Where Everybody Finds Out" is the fourteenth episode of Friends' fifth season. It first aired on the NBC network in the United States on February 11, 1999. In the episode, Phoebe Buffay discovers that Monica Geller and Chandler Bing are secretly dating, and decides to "mess" with them by pretending to flirt with Chandler. Meanwhile, Ross Geller learns that "Ugly Naked Guy" is subletting his apartment and applies for it. The episode ends on a cliffhanger, with Ross witnessing Monica and Chandler having sex through a window, which would be resolved in the next episode.

"The One with Ross's Wedding" is the two-part fourth-season finale of the American television sitcom Friends, comprising the 96th and 97th episodes of the series overall. Originally broadcast by NBC on May 7, 1998, the episode features Ross, Monica, Joey, Chandler and later Rachel travelling to England to attend the wedding of Ross Geller to his fiancée Emily in London. Ross and Emily's wedding vows are ruined when Ross accidentally says "I, Ross, take thee Rachel"; as the registrar asks Emily if he should continue, the episode ends on a cliffhanger until the season 5 premiere "The One After Ross Says Rachel". The episode also introduces Chandler and Monica's romantic relationship after they impulsively have a one-night stand. Lisa Kudrow won an Emmy Award for her work in the episode.

"The Last One", also known as "The One Where They Say Goodbye", is the series finale of the television sitcom Friends. The episode serves as the seventeenth and eighteenth episode of the tenth season and the 235th and the 236th episode overall; the episode's two parts were classified as two separate episodes. It was written by series creators David Crane and Marta Kauffman, and directed by executive producer Kevin S. Bright. The series finale first aired on NBC in the United States on May 6, 2004, when it was watched by 52.5 million viewers, making it the most watched entertainment telecast in six years and the fifth most watched overall television series finale in U.S. history as well as the most watched episode from any television series throughout the decade 2000s on U.S. television. In Canada, the finale aired simultaneously on May 6, 2004, on Global, and was viewed by 5.16 million viewers, becoming the second-highest viewed episode of the series.

"The One with Rachel's Date" is the fifth episode of Friends' eighth season. It first aired on NBC in the United States on October 25, 2001. During the episode, Phoebe begins dating Tim, a sous-chef from Monica's restaurant. When Phoebe decides to end the relationship, it coincides with Monica wanting to fire him, with both fighting over who is going to dump Tim first. In the subplot, Joey introduces Rachel to his Days of Our Lives co-star, Kash Ford, and they go out on a date, which bothers Ross. Meanwhile, Chandler blocks the promotion of a coworker, Bob, who has mistakenly been calling him Toby for the last five years.

"The One Hundredth" is the third episode of Friends' fifth season and 100th episode overall. It first aired on the NBC network in the United States on October 8, 1998. Continuing from the previous episode, the group arrive at the hospital after Phoebe goes into labor and gives birth to her half brother Frank's and his wife Alice's triplets. Meanwhile, Rachel tries to set Monica and herself up with two male nurses, which causes problems between Monica and Chandler, and Ross supports Joey as he experiences kidney stones.

"The One with All the Thanksgivings" is the eighth episode of the fifth season of Friends. It first aired on the NBC network in the United States on November 19, 1998. In the episode, the main characters spend Thanksgiving at Monica's apartment and begin telling stories about their worst Thanksgivings: Chandler learning of his parents' divorce, Phoebe losing arms in past lives and Joey having his head stuck in a turkey. Rachel reveals Monica's worst Thanksgiving—accidentally cutting off Chandler's toe after he called her "fat" in their first encounter. When Monica begs Chandler to forgive her, he accidentally reveals that he loves her.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The One Where Rachel Smokes</span> 18th episode of the 5th season of Friends

"The One Where Rachel Smokes" is the eighteenth episode of the fifth season of Friends and 115th overall. It first aired on NBC in the United States on April 8, 1999. In the episode, Rachel starts her new job at Ralph Lauren and soon feels left out because all the decision-making takes place on smoking breaks and she does not smoke. She tries to solve the problem by taking up the habit, which proves difficult. Meanwhile, Ben auditions for a soup commercial and Joey decides to come along to try for a part as well. When each is paired with a different actor, the auditions become competitive. Elsewhere, Monica and Phoebe plan a surprise party for Rachel.

"The One with the Girl Who Hits Joey" is the fifteenth episode of Friends' fifth season, and the 112th overall. It first aired on the NBC network in the United States on February 18, 1999.

"The One After Vegas" is the sixth-season premiere of the American television situation comedy Friends, which was broadcast on NBC on September 23, 1999. The plot continues from the previous episode; after their drunken wedding in Las Vegas, Ross and Rachel plan a quick annulment, and Monica and Chandler discuss moving in together. A subplot has Joey and Phoebe driving back to New York from Vegas, picking up a hitchhiker on the way. The episode was directed by Kevin S. Bright, written by Adam Chase and its production was documented for a Discovery Channel program.

<i>Friends</i> season 2 Season of television series

The second season of Friends, an American sitcom created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, premiered on NBC on September 21, 1995. Friends was produced by Bright/Kauffman/Crane Productions, in association with Warner Bros. Television. The season contains 24 episodes and concluded airing on May 16, 1996.

References

  1. 1 2 Sangster, Jim; David Bailey (2000). Friends Like Us: The Unofficial Guide to Friends (2nd ed.). London: Virgin Publishing Ltd. pp. 230–232. ISBN   0-7535-0439-1.
  2. ↑ "Friends Episode – The One With The Embryos". InBaseline. Retrieved 6 April 2012.
  3. ↑ "First baby for Friends star Lisa". The Mirror . 17 October 1997. Retrieved 25 March 2012.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Kauffman, Marta (15 July 2003). Commentary for "The One with the Embryos"[Friends: The Complete Fourth Season] (DVD). Warner Home Video.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Crane, David (15 July 2003). Commentary for "The One with the Embryos"[Friends: The Complete Fourth Season] (DVD). Warner Home Video.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 Bright, Kevin S. (15 July 2003). Commentary for "The One with the Embryos"[Friends: The Complete Fourth Season] (DVD). Warner Home Video.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Eng, Joyce (January 15, 2018). "Friends: The One with the Oral History of the Trivia Game Episode". TV Guide . Retrieved January 19, 2018.
  8. ↑ "WEEK'S TV RATINGS". San Francisco Chronicle . 21 January 1998. Retrieved 25 March 2012.
  9. ↑ Snierson, Dan (24 February 2004). "Friends Forever: Courteney Cox Arquette". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 18 August 2007.
  10. ↑ Snierson, Dan (24 February 2004). "Friends Forever: Matt LeBlanc". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 18 August 2007.
  11. ↑ Staff writer. (15 September 2001). "Review: Season 4 (1997–1998)". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 18 August 2007.
  12. ↑ Ariano, Tara (3 May 2004). "The one with the best of 'Friends'". MSNBC.com . Archived from the original on 6 March 2012. Retrieved 22 August 2007.
  13. ↑ "TV's Top 100 Episodes of All Time" TV Guide ; June 15, 2009; Pages 34–49
  14. ↑ "Friends: The Complete Fourth Season". Amazon. Retrieved 26 March 2012.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.